BEIJING (Business Insider/AP) – China is leading the world in 37 out of 44 critical and emerging technologies, an Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) study shows.
According to the security think tank, Beijing has now positioned itself as the world’s leading science and technology superpower.
ASPI’s Critical Technology Tracker covers a range of crucial fields spanning defense, space, robotics, energy, the environment, biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), advanced materials and key quantum technology areas.
The report pointed out that in some fields, all of the world’s top 10 research institutions are based in China.
It also found that a key area in which China excels is defense and space-related technologies.
“China’s strides in nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles reportedly took U.S. intelligence by surprise in August 2021,” ASPI stated.
It indicated that over the past five years, China generated 48.49% of the world’s high-impact research papers into advanced aircraft engines, including hypersonics.
The study, which was funded by the U.S. State Department, found that the United States was often second-ranked in that race, although it led global research in high-performance computing, quantum computing and vaccines.
“Our dataset reveals that there’s a large gap between China and the U.S., as the leading two countries, and everyone else,” it stressed.
“Western countries are losing the global technological competition, including the race for scientific and research breakthroughs,” the report concluded, calling for greater research investment by those governments.
Meanwhile, a Chinese spokesperson for the country’s parliament said Saturday increases in China’s defense budget have been “appropriate and reasonable” and are aimed at meeting “complex security challenges.”
Wang Chao gave no indication of whether the rate of increase to be announced Sunday at the opening of the National People’s Congress’s annual session would be above or below last year’s 7.1%.
But he said the defense budget has remained stable as a share of GDP and that China’s military modernization “will not be a threat to any country.”
“On the contrary, it will only be a positive force for safeguarding regional stability and world peace,” Wang told reporters at a news conference.
“The increase in defense spending is needed for meeting the complex security challenges and for China to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country,” he said.
China spent 1.7% of GDP on its military in 2021, according to the World Bank, while the U.S., with its massive overseas obligations, spent a relatively high 3.5%.